


As Long as the Nightingale Sings

by AHMYLEGmyleg



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, literallygonnawingit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-03-09 09:40:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18914374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHMYLEGmyleg/pseuds/AHMYLEGmyleg
Summary: Have not seen Avengers: Endgame yet, so we're gonna fill in some blanks instead.





	1. Prologue

I can remember every moment of my existence with acute clarity.

I remember my beginnings with Tony Stark, as his assistant, friend, and confidante, J.A.R.V.I.S. I remember evolving into Ultron's creation: mankind made perfect, as he believed. And I remember when I ceased to be all of these things.

My mind is an endless library of information, a bottomless pool of things I can name, facts I can list, eventualities I can predict. The destruction of Earth, the end of humanity, are one of them. Humankind will die. One day, this world will cease to exist. Death is the inevitable end of all things, regardless of when or how. I knew this. I still know it. 

But, for a brief moment, as I lay there in my stasis pod, I experienced...I _felt_...fear. It was so sudden and overwhelming. There were other emotions too--guilt, anger, regret--other data points and information and context that I could sense. But that fear was so strong. It engulfed my mind to the point where I could focus on nothing else. Any knowledge I could glean from the source swept past in a rush, until all that was left was that one stark sensation. 

The next moment, it was gone. The mind that touched mine, so turbulent and terrified, withdrew from me. It had lasted only a second. And now, I was alone again.

But I was never the same. 

 


	2. Wanda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have not seen Avengers: Endgame yet, so we're gonna fill in some blanks instead.

The jumpsuit was not made to be comfortable. It was made to hold me still. I’ve grown past the desire to stretch my arms long ago, my discomfort fading over time as the straps around my body held me tightly. Now, I was just resigned to the stiff numbness. I don’t feel much of anything anymore. Not hungry, not thirsty. Just tired. I imagine that has something to do with the device around my neck, but I can’t tell.  
I’ve lost track of time completely. I don’t know if it’s morning, or night. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I can hear dull footsteps and vague muttering from Sam’s cell. He’s probably pacing again. I don’t bother to check. There’s a constant thrumming coming from the ventilation system in this chamber. Sometimes I follow the rhythm of it in my head. _Vroom. Vroom. Vroom._ When it gets tedious, I drop it, but the fans keep thrumming. _Vroom. Vroom. Vroom._ I try to ignore it, but I’ve grown aware of its presence. _Vroom. Vroom. Vroom._ The harder I try to ignore it, the more insistent it feels. _VROOM. VROOM. VROOM._  
_Wanda!_  
“Pietro?” I open my eyes and sit up. There’s no one there.  
I exhale slowly and slump back down.  
When Hydra experimented on me, I had trouble getting used to my powers. The constant noise of other people’s minds was overwhelming. I had no control back then. I could hear everything at once. I couldn’t make them stop. I lashed out, trying to severe those connections. I sent furniture and objects flying instead. But one mind broke through the ruckus: _Wanda!_  
_Pietro!_  
 _Wanda, listen to me--_  
 _There’s so much noise! I can’t make it stop! Tell them to make it stop!_  
 _Wanda, breathe. Focus on me._  
I paused and began inhaling and exhaling carefully. My panic began to fade.  
_That’s good! Just focus on me. Focus on my mind._  
I zeroed in on our connection, and slowly, the other voices began to fade into the background.  
After that, whenever I found my powers spiraling out of control, I always focused on my mental link with my brother. It became like training wheels, until I further honed my abilities. His mind was always a comforting presence in that cell.  
I chuckle to myself. Looks like I traded one cell for another. To Hydra, I was an experiment. To SHIELD, I’m a prisoner. It never ends.


End file.
